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In a comparative effectiveness study of cerebral protection strategies for aortic arch repair, strategies without adjunctive CP, including the most commonly utilized strategy of straight D/P hypothermia, appeared inferior to those utilizing CP. There was no clearly superior strategy among remaining techniques, and randomized trials are needed to define best practice.

Recent basic and clinical research has established a link between the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). The discovery of the influence of MMPs on in vitro and in vivo aneurysm development has yielded promising information that may eventually decode the pathogenetic factors affecting the initiation and growth rate of AAAs. In this review, an analysis of MMPs involved in AAA disease is presented, including the data from recent research studies and planned clinical drug trails designed to retard the AAA growth by inhibiting MMP activity.

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Percutaneous plaque excision is a viable treatment option for lower extremity revascularization. Outcomes are related to ischemia and lesion severity. Patency and limb salvage rates are equivalent to other endovascular modalities.

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Patients with body mass index 24 or less are at significantly increased risk of in-hospital and long-term mortality after cardiac valvular surgery. This high-risk patient population warrants careful risk stratification and options for less-invasive valve therapies.